Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Trump administration to stop using Pokémon, Mario and other Japanese intellectual property in U.S. government social posts, citing potential reputational damage and copyright concerns. Kotaku cited examples including a September 2025 DHS video that paired the original Pokémon theme with ICE arrest footage and a March 2026 White House X clip that combined missile-strike footage with Wii Sports visuals. The Pokémon Company said it was not involved and granted no permission. The ministry has urged U.S. officials to stop the practice, but no formal reply has been confirmed.
Japan Urges Trump Administration To Stop Using Pokémon, Mario And Other Japanese IP In Political Memes
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urging the Trump administration to stop using iconic anime like Naruto in official political social media posts. ©Image Credit: Truth Social / Donald Trump
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly asked the Trump administration to stop using Pokémon, Mario, Naruto and other Japanese gaming and anime characters in official U.S. government social media posts, arguing that the practice can harm the reputation of those works and may infringe copyright.
The official White House X account sparked backlash after sharing a video combining real footage of missile strikes in Iran with Wii Sports visuals. ©Image Credit: X / The White House
What Happened
According to a Kotaku report, White House and other U.S. government accounts have frequently repurposed recognizable video-game and anime imagery to promote policies and announcements over the past year. Japanese officials say those posts were created without permission from the rights holders and have raised concerns about the impact on the creators’ brands.
Officials and brand owners argue that reproducing copyrighted works without consent damages the reputation of iconic Japanese creations. ©Image Credit: X / The White House
Examples Cited
- September 2025: The Department of Homeland Security published a video pairing the original Pokémon theme with footage of ICE arrests.
- March 2026: The official White House X (formerly Twitter) account posted a clip that edited footage of missile strikes in Iran alongside visuals from Wii Sports.
- March 2026 (fan tool): Government accounts used a fan-made Pokémon “Pokopia” text generator to broadcast political slogans including “Make America Great Again.”
"We are aware of recent social content that includes imagery associated with our brand," Pokémon spokeswoman Sravanthi Dev said. "We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual property."
Rights holders and Japanese officials argue that reproducing copyrighted material without consent can damage the reputation of iconic cultural properties. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reportedly lobbied U.S. counterparts — as recently as June — to stop the practice and to consider potential copyright and reputational harm.
The Kotaku report does not confirm whether the Japanese government received a formal response to its requests. Observers say that unless major rights holders such as Nintendo or The Pokémon Company pursue formal legal action, the reuse of pop-culture assets in political posts is likely to continue.
Sources: Kotaku, ScreenRant, GEEKSPIN
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